06 July,2019 12:48 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
A screengrab of the video shows Raju eating the special cake made for him
A viral video of an elephant celebrating five years of being rescued from captivity by cutting a fruit cake has taken the internet by storm and left netizens teary-eyed. The elephant, who is fondly known as Raju, celebrated five years of his freedom in a ceremony that was organised for him.
A team of volunteers carries the specially made cake for Raju. Pic/A screengrab of the video
The elephant 'Raju' was held captive before he was rescued by an NGO. Raju spent the first five decades of his life seeking alms for his owner on the busy streets of Uttar Pradesh. Raju was kept in custody illegally until he was rescued by the NGO Wildlife SOS back in 2014.
In order to celebrate Raju's 5 years of freedom of being rescued from captivity, the team at Elephant Conservation & Care Centre in Mathura got a special cake made for him which was filled with his favourite fruits including mango and watermelon. According to reports, Raju was elated and overjoyed with the surprise and finished the cake within minutes.
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Watch the video here:
While sharing the video on YouTube, the team at Elephant Conservation & Care Centre wrote: After nearly 50 years in captivity, 'Raju' the begging elephant had lost all hope of life, free from cruelty and abuse. In 2014, Wildlife SOS successfully rescued this majestic pachyderm & Raju went on to become the elephant who captured the hearts of millions! To commemorate his fifth rescue anniversary, the team at the Elephant Conservation & Care Center put together a surprise for Raju!
A screengrab of the comments section
The video was posted on July 3, 2019, and since then has gone viral on the internet. The video has amassed nearly 8 thousand views with netizens taking to the comments section to share their heartfelt messages. "So happy for Raju, he certainly enjoyed his cake," said one user while another wrote, "Beautiful!! Thanks for taking care of Raju God bless you."
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